I have been extremely fortunate to have lived a life full of exciting adventures and incredible experiences. For over 30 years, my work has taken me across the globe, escaping perilous predicaments, hunting dangerous men, testing me with soul-crushing tragedies, providing laughter during hilarious and ridiculous situations and allowing me to spend time with some very interesting and intriguing people.
Everyone Loves a Good Story
Stories are passed down through the ages. They provide us valuable life lessons, inspire us to reach beyond our horizons and repair our souls when in need. Here you will find a collection of my own personal stories and articles that aim to provide practical philosophies and assist with personal development. Whether your goal is becoming a strong leader, building teams, battling depression, overcoming adversity, discovering some meaning and purpose or just finding your way to manhood, I hope my stories will help with that navigation.
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The Thundering Velvet Hands of 13 Warriors
Despite the tremendous pain we feel for the loss of these 13 young souls to the Heavens, there remains a spark of light ignited by their actions. In the minutes, hours and days before their departure, they comforted the suffering and desperate. An enduring solace is found from the artifacts that show these 13 WarriorsContinue reading “The Thundering Velvet Hands of 13 Warriors”
Cultivate Mindset like a Marine
Mindset – The Key to the Kill House In 1992, I didn’t learn how to cultivate a desired mindset at a wellness retreat, sitting around a bunch of crosslegged participants intending to achieve a greater level of consciousness. I was taught it prior to entering a “Kill House” (aka Shoot House, or Tire House), whereContinue reading “Cultivate Mindset like a Marine”
The Young Man Whispered, “I Want to be Like Him”
Paragons and Paladins Paragon applies to someone who is a model of perfection in some quality or trait. Someone who is the perfect embodiment of a concept, like a role model. If you ask a Cop who their role models are, chances are they will be other cops, individuals they learned from and tried to imitate. CopsContinue reading “The Young Man Whispered, “I Want to be Like Him””
It’s Been Ten Years Dad
It’s been ten years Dad. Ten years since you vanished from this place, ten years since the world has seen your face. While your soul is finally at peace, peace is often elusive for me. Ten…oh what an odd thing. Such an even and perfect sum. Yet it’s just a long start to the eternalContinue reading “It’s Been Ten Years Dad”
C.K. Interview – Careers In The Film Industry
I love doing these Nepris interviews for kids. It is such a great tool for exposing young people, looking to make decisions about their career direction, to learn from others’ experiences regardless of where they are physically located in the country. In this interview, we talk about my very unusual, and funny, break into theContinue reading “C.K. Interview – Careers In The Film Industry”
C.K. Interview – Forensics Investigations
I was recently interviewed by high school students studying the topic of forensics. We covered a lot of ground, including crime scenes, murder investigations, careers in law enforcement, court testimony, mindset, and even how police procedural TV shows get it wrong. Click here to watch the video. If you cannot immediately watch the video, you mayContinue reading “C.K. Interview – Forensics Investigations”
How Halloween Teaches Camaraderie and Breeds Cohesion
While Halloween 2020 took a solid punch to the liver by COVID-19, it remains the reigning champion of holidays for camaraderie-building. In my opinion, it’s actually the healthiest holiday for kids. Now that might sound crazy due to all the candy in play, but I’m referring to mental health and social development. Let’s level setContinue reading “How Halloween Teaches Camaraderie and Breeds Cohesion”
The Human Soul shines amidst Tragedy
The City that Never Sleeps The first time I traveled to New York City was in 1996. I remember how breathtaking the city was from my window seat on the airplane. I can only imagine that same view must have been horrifying for the passengers of those two planes, 19 years ago today. During myContinue reading “The Human Soul shines amidst Tragedy”
The French Connection
It was the summer of 2003 and there was no shortage of tragedy and conflict in the world. The first quarter of the year saw the Space Shuttle Columbia explode and disintegrate as it reentered the Earth’s atmosphere, and the lead up to summer was consumed by the invasion of Iraq, which quickly evolved into a deadly insurgency.
C.K. Interview – Safety Talk Podcast
Safety & Security Expert Pete Canavan interviews C.K. Redlinger about Mindset and much more. They cover a variety topics related to staying safe, cultivating mindset, surviving deadly encounters, overcoming adversity and using situational awareness.
Memorial Day Reflections – “Earn This”
For many of us, Memorial Day symbolizes the beginning of summer. But more importantly, it’s a day of remembrance. A day to reflect and be thankful for the brave Americans who have laid such a costly sacrifice on the altar of freedom.
C.K. Interview – Homicide Detectives & FBI Profilers
I recently volunteered to be interviewed by a high school student with a passion to seek justice for murder victims. She has her sights set on either a homicide detective or FBI profiler. In this video interview, I help her to understand the difference and educate her on the various roles involved in investigating andContinue reading “C.K. Interview – Homicide Detectives & FBI Profilers”
Remember that time…? When Homicide Cops Reminisce
“The memories will be so thick they’ll have to brush them away from their faces” I’ve heard it said that sometimes you don’t know the value of a moment until it actually becomes a memory. As I hit my 50th Birthday this week, pay tribute to my father’s next week and near the anniversary ofContinue reading “Remember that time…? When Homicide Cops Reminisce”
When Life Punches You in the Face: Improvise, Adapt and Overcome
Sometimes life can be a real son-of-a-brick, enter the ultimate uninvited guest, COVID-19. Speaking of Bricks, I have officially given the Coronavirus the face and personality of that ruthless gangster from the classic movie “Snatch”, Brick Top. I can’t think of a better persona for it? If you have not seen the movie Snatch, well..there’sContinue reading “When Life Punches You in the Face: Improvise, Adapt and Overcome”
Role Models: Two Men Named John
Who was that Masked-Man? “A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust and a hearty Hi-Yo Silver! The Lone Ranger! … With his faithful Indian companion Tonto, the daring and resourceful masked rider of the plains led the fight for law and order in the early western United States! Nowhere inContinue reading “Role Models: Two Men Named John”
Intuition, A Cry from Beyond the Grave
Gut Feelings, what are they? A lot has been written about human intuition and its power to communicate, even I have covered this topic here. Stories of people acting on their gut feelings are out there for good reason. Simply put, these are the unexplained feelings we get about something being wrong but have noContinue reading “Intuition, A Cry from Beyond the Grave”
What are you Afraid of, My Boy?
Fear of Death and Loss What are you afraid of, my boy? Is it the pale moon in the night sky or a bump in the dark that makes you cry? There is unease about you and this angst is dragging you down. So, what is it that’s behind this horrible frown? Is itContinue reading “What are you Afraid of, My Boy?”
How Sheepish Leadership Suffocates Courage
You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do – Carl Jung Recently, a senior ranking firefighter in Atlanta made a split-second decision to rush into a burning home to rescue a 95-year-old woman. It’s reported he could see here inside on the floor surrounded by smoke and flames. He entered the building,Continue reading “How Sheepish Leadership Suffocates Courage”
Struggling to Keep an Exercise Routine? Reprogram your Brain
The Psychology of it You know the feeling? You start the morning with some convincing internal dialog promising you will hit the gym after work or sometime later in the day. Fast forward, now it’s late in the afternoon and that thought of exercising has clawed its way back to your mind’s front door likeContinue reading “Struggling to Keep an Exercise Routine? Reprogram your Brain”
Watching the Super Bowl with Mohammad Ali
It true! 20 years ago today, I watched Super Bowl XXXIV with “The Greatest” himself. Here’s how it all went down. It was January 2000, we had just survived the Y2K scare and now it was Superbowl weekend in Atlanta, Georgia with the Rams about to face off against the Titans. I was working asContinue reading “Watching the Super Bowl with Mohammad Ali”
Idris Elba: A Modern-Day Movie Star with Old-School Style
I recently ran into Idris Elba at an event in Dallas. While I have not had the pleasure to technically advise on one of his movies, I continue to admire his work from afar and find myself including him as one of my favorite actors. Additionally, as an actor, he has that special something, aContinue reading “Idris Elba: A Modern-Day Movie Star with Old-School Style”
C.K. Interview – Is it Safe to Travel to the Middle East?
Washington Post Interview. It’s important to understand that the Middle East is not a monolith, says C.K. Redlinger, a former U.S. government security contractor who lived in the region for 12 years. While there may be some cultural similarities among certain countries, each has its own government, beliefs and customs. The same is true whenContinue reading “C.K. Interview – Is it Safe to Travel to the Middle East?”
Lessons from the Police Academy
Today marks the 25th Anniversary of 31 officers starting their journey with the DeKalb County Police Department. I wanted to share some experiences during that 6-month police academy. Starting with a little background, I joined the DeKalb County Police Department right out of the Marines. It was my 2nd goal in life, just after becoming aContinue reading “Lessons from the Police Academy”
Cultivate a Mindset for Adversity
The Night is Darkest just before the Light “If it’s too hard for everyone else, it’s just right for us Butterfields”. This is what my grandfather would always say to his six sons and two daughters, one of whom was my mother (Elaine Butterfield-Redlinger). Only a few were old enough to serve during World WarContinue reading “Cultivate a Mindset for Adversity”
Tomorrow is Veteran’s Day, but today it’s all about The Marines!
Just last week, I was in Los Angeles and had made a quick stop at a Starbucks to grab a coffee before a meeting. I saw a LAPD officer at the register ordering, so I darted over in an attempt to buy his coffee. He politely refused, but the cashier was on my side andContinue reading “Tomorrow is Veteran’s Day, but today it’s all about The Marines!”
Superman, Indiana Jones and my take on Facing Adversity
On one summer night in 1981, I was visiting family in Jacksonville, NC. I was just 11 years old and some other kids and I were preparing to go to the movies and see the highly anticipated Superman II sequel, starring Christopher Reeves. I can still remember the fun and excitement we enjoyed all day, knowing thatContinue reading “Superman, Indiana Jones and my take on Facing Adversity”
C.K. Interview – Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
CEO Blog Nation interviewed me about the best ways to get out of your comfort zone.
Enhance your Situational Awareness
Mind, Mitigate, then Repeat – Basics for your Modern Security Posture “Mind and mitigate”, Is that even a thing? I mean those two words packaged together to form a clever way of coupling situational awareness and risk controls. OK, If I actually just coined it, then you have to mention my name every time you say itContinue reading “Enhance your Situational Awareness”
Good Deeds and the Courage to Act
Do you recognize this picture from that scene in “Batman Begins”? Lieutenant Jim Gordon places his coat on a young Bruce Wayne following the murder of his parents. Later, in the sequel movie, “The Dark Knight Rises”, the now Commissioner Gordon asks Batman to reveal his identity, so the world could know the hero that was about toContinue reading “Good Deeds and the Courage to Act”
Tribe Mentality in Business
Looking at the picture above, you might not arrive to the conclusion that I’m necessarily happy. Just to be clear, I’m the homicide detective on the right (not the suspect 😊). In fact, I’m completely ecstatic and elated with joy in this moment! Why? Because I belonged to a group consisting of 20 individuals, who relied upon and neededContinue reading “Tribe Mentality in Business”
C.K. Guest Speaker – 2016 Urban Shield
An insightful overview on terrorists’ attacks and other crisis and challenges facing the country. Based on his last 11 years of experience living in Jordan, Mr. Redlinger will cover the 2005 hotel bombings by Al Qaida, the death of Jordan’s Air Force pilot at the hands of ISIS, and several other significant events to includeContinue reading “C.K. Guest Speaker – 2016 Urban Shield”
C.K. Interview – Wishful Thinking, Playing Dead is not an Plan
Breach Bang Clear: Active Shooter – Since the beginning of my professional career, I have always understood the importance of mindset and how it can tip the balance in your favor. Eons ago, when I was a U.S. Marine CQB instructor and had the task of teaching the lesson on mindset, I would always startContinue reading “C.K. Interview – Wishful Thinking, Playing Dead is not an Plan”
C.K. Interview – 10 Places Celebrities Visit for Amazing Vacation Adventures
For celebs who are used to fantasy, Mission X takes even them to a new level of pretense. Check out the description of this clandestine and spy adventure through five cities in Europe. You start in London and undergo training in tradecraft and receive mission briefing. According to Mission X, Former British SAS troopers getContinue reading “C.K. Interview – 10 Places Celebrities Visit for Amazing Vacation Adventures”
Director Tom Green talks about C.K. Training Actors
One guy in particular (C.K.) . He and MissionX put all the actors through a weapons training process. He was there on set with us a lot. I went out to the location and blocked out all the action sequences with them, broke down all the gun battle scenes and made sure it was asContinue reading “Director Tom Green talks about C.K. Training Actors”
Actor Sam Keeley tells the Hollywood News about training with C.K.
We had a weeks training prior to the shoot in Jordan with ex marines. The company was called Mission X and our chief advisor is a gent called CK Redlinger. CK made sure that we were tactility sound for the shoot and was essential for making us look and feel like soldiers. It was anContinue reading “Actor Sam Keeley tells the Hollywood News about training with C.K.”
C.K. Interview – Advice for a Veteran’s Child
Breach Bang Clear – My Uncle was one of the 10 survivors of the USS Juneau. I often think about how he survived, which leads me to this piece of advice – If you ever find yourself in a situation where it seems you are not going to make it out alive or defeat isContinue reading “C.K. Interview – Advice for a Veteran’s Child”
C.K. Interview – MissionX: Personality Driven
Recoil Magazine – Mission X was founded a few years ago by Redlinger and Harry Taylor. CK is a former Marine, SWAT officer, and police detective. He is an accomplished small-unit leader who worked for many years as an overseas contractor, including an assignment to the regional U.S. ambassador’s protective services detail and another asContinue reading “C.K. Interview – MissionX: Personality Driven”
C.K. Interview – Deadly Police Shootings
The Stir – An unarmed person can just as effectively kill another human being as an armed one can, especially a 6’4″, 290-pound human,” says Charles Redlinger, a former U.S. Marine who served as a police officer in Metro-Atlanta where he was involved in a deadly shooting with a bank robber while in the lineContinue reading “C.K. Interview – Deadly Police Shootings”
C.K. Interview – Monsters Dark Continent Movie
Recoil Magazine – My guess is there will be some who actually like this better than the recent Godzilla movie (myself included). It looks like there’s the potential for some great special effects here, and the military aspect of it reflects some good technical consulting (not a huge suprise, since CK Redlinger and Mission X had aContinue reading “C.K. Interview – Monsters Dark Continent Movie”
MissionX Manages KASOTC Annual Warrior Competition
Former Marine CK Redlinger and his business partner, former SAS Trooper Harry Taylor, are two of the original architechs of the world famous combat-oriented challenge, The Annual Warrior Competition. At Mission X we are committed to adventure and calculated risk-taking so we created a Special Operations Leadership and Development Program for civilians and company employeesContinue reading “MissionX Manages KASOTC Annual Warrior Competition”
C.K. Interview – Pocono-area Police warn Public of Officer Impersonators
In Lackawanna County, a motorist last month activated flashing red-and-blue lights on the grille of his red pickup truck and a blue light on the roof to pull over a driver on Casey Highway. In Carbon County, a man with a badge pinned to his shirt and wearing a holster with a silver revolver allegedlyContinue reading “C.K. Interview – Pocono-area Police warn Public of Officer Impersonators”
C.K. Interview – AP News on the Annual Warrior Competition
While it is a competition to test combat-oriented skills, it’s actually, one could argue that it is a competition to build peace within the different cooperative elements that come here,” said Charles Redlinger, co-founder of Mission X, the special operations company that runs the event.
C.K. Interview – Marines take 1st Place at Annual Warrior Competition
KING ABDULLAH II SPECIAL OPERATIONS TRAINING CENTER, Jordan (May 9, 2010) — U.S. Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit took top prize during the 2nd Annual Warrior Competition where they beat out six other specialized teams during the 3-day evolution at the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center (KASOTC) that ended May 9. The 24th MEU sent two teams toContinue reading “C.K. Interview – Marines take 1st Place at Annual Warrior Competition”
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